Joining clip for modular panels
The present document describes a clip for securing a tight connection between two modular panels. The connection has a male portion on a first one of the two modular panels, and a female portion on a second one of the two modular panels. The male portion is for being inserted into the female portion upon assembly of the two modular panels side by side. The clip comprises a first flat member having a first pressure edge, and a second flat member having a second pressure edge. The second flat member is fixedly joined to the first flat member. The panels are assembled in an assembly direction. Upon introduction of the first flat member into the male portion, and of the second flat member into the female portion perpendicularly to the assembly direction, the first pressure edge of the first flat member forces the male portion toward the female portion, while the second pressure edge of the second flat member forces the female portion toward the male portion. These forces secure the tight connection between the two modular panels.
This application is filed under 37 CFR 1.53(b) as a continuation-in-part application. This application claims priority under 35USC§120 of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/743,861, filed May 5, 2007, and entitled “Customized Modular Panel”, the specification of which is hereby incorporated by reference.
TECHNICAL FIELDThis description relates to the field of the construction of rooms or buildings with prefabricated modular panels. More particularly, this description relates to device, for securing insulated panels together.
BACKGROUNDInsulated rooms and refrigeration units are generally constructed using prefabricated insulated modular panels each fabricated either manually or using a continuous manufacturing process.
Modular panels are generally joined together via male and female type joints to form walls, ceilings or floors, for example, of a walk-in cooler structure. These joints are generally secured together using screws and trims or adhesives or cam-lock fasteners which do not provide the most efficient and strong junctions.
There is therefore a need for a solution which efficiently secures modular panels together while also addressing issues associated with the prior art in assembling panels which are substantially perpendicular to one another.
SUMMARYAccording to an embodiment, there is provided a clip for securing a tight connection between two modular panels. The connection comprising a male portion on a first one of the two modular panels and a female portion on a second one of the two modular panels. The male portion for insertion into the female portion upon assembly of the two modular panels. The clip comprises: a first flat member having a first pressure edge; and a second flat member fixedly joined to the first flat member. Once the panels are assembled in an assembly direction and upon introduction of the first flat member into either one of the male portion and the female portion and of the second flat member into the other one of the male portion and the female portion, the introduction being perpendicularly to the assembly direction, the first pressure edge of the first flat member forces the male portion toward the female portion thereby securing the tight connection between the two modular panels.
Further in accordance with the above embodiment, there is optionally provided a second pressure edge for forcing the male portion toward the female portion upon assembly of the two modular panels.
Further in accordance with the above embodiment, there is optionally provided a third flat member and a fourth flat member respectively aligned with the first and the second flat members to prevent twisting of the clip in the assembly direction upon assembly of the two modular panels.
According to another aspect of the invention, there is provided a fastening guide for use with the clip described above. The fastening guide comprises a central member forming an angle with a guiding member. The central member for being placed in alignment with an edge of the third modular panel. The guiding member for guiding a user in aligning the fastening means through the third modular panel.
Further features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description, taken in combination with the appended drawings, in which:
It will be noted that throughout the appended drawings, like features are identified by like reference numerals.
DETAILED DESCRIPTIONReferring now to the drawings, and more particularly to
The wall panels 22a and 22b and the ceiling panels 24a and 24b are each made of a foam material 26 enclosed between two exterior sheets of material 27 and 28 which are made of any sheet material such as any kind of steel or aluminum. In accordance with one fabrication process, the foam material 26 is injected between the two exterior sheets of material 27 and 28 and let to harden, thereby forming a solid modular panel. The foam material 26 can be any type of insulating material such as Injected Polyurethane Foam (IPF) or any other laminated insulating material such as mineral wool or polyurethane.
Each one of the sheets 27 and 28 extends from one pair of opposite edges 30 and 32 to another pair of perpendicular opposite edges 33 and 34 of each panel. For description purposes, sheet 27 forms exterior sides of the panels in the assembly 20, while sheet 28 forms interior sides. Each of the sheets 27 and 28 has an exterior surface which lies in a plane substantially parallel to a direction of assembly 35 made by two (or more) modular panels assembled side by side to define a wall or a ceiling; i.e., 22a with 22b, and 24a with 24b.
The panels 22a, 22b, 24a and 24b each have a male portion 36 and a female portion 38 extending longitudinally along each one of the pairs of opposite edges 30 and 32. The male portion 36 extends closest to an exterior surface or near a first one of the two sheets 27 or 28, while the female portion 38 extends closest to another opposite exterior surface or near a second one of the two sheets 27 or 28.
The male portion 36 forms a tongue (also referred to as a tenon) which is made to be inserted into a groove (also referred to as a mortise) formed by the female portion 38 to create a connection, 44a or 44b, with a neighboring modular panel extending along the same assembly direction 35. In
The male and female portions 36 and 38 are each strengthened by an extension 27′ or 28′ of the closest one of the two sheets 27 or 28. These extensions 27′ and 28′ extend within or around either one of the groove or tongue made by the female portion 38 or the male portion 36. Of course, other embodiments for the male and female portions 36 and 38 are possible and are considered to fall within the scope of the present invention.
Still referring to
A second fastening means, such as a long screw or nail 54, secures panels 24a perpendicularly to the connection 44a made by panels 22a and 22b. The long screw 54 passes through the panel 24a until it is received in the clip 50. Since long screw 54 is not used for the clip 50 which holds panels 24a and 24b (i.e., ceiling panels) together, fastening means 52 are optional. The structure and features of the clip 50 is further detailed herein below.
The assembly 20 is completed by covering the bottom edges 33 of the wall panels 22a and 22b with a floor molding 56. The edges 33 of the panels 24a and 24b once assembled with the wall panels 22a and 22b are also finished with a covering cap 58 secured thereto using fastening means such as screws or nails 60. The floor molding 56 and the cap 58 are optional features and may take various shaped as desired.
The assembly 20 illustrated in
In the prior art of
Unlike with the prior art, the assembly 20 provided by
Now referring to
Referring to
Referring to
As seen in
The flat members 71 to 74 each have a pressure edge, 77 to 80 respectively, which is angled in shape.
In this embodiment, the edges 83 to 86 opposite with respect to the pressure edges 77 to 80 are also angled. The junction of both edges 77 to 80 with respective edges 83 to 86 form a tip which eases the insertion of the clip 50 into a modular panel's foam material, in an insertion direction 87 which is intended to be perpendicular to the assembly direction 35 as seen in
The clip 50 has a gap 89 provided by the fact that the top plate 75 is wider than the bottom plate 76, to separate the first and second flat members 71 and 72, and the third and fourth flat members 73 and 74 by a given distance, as seen in
As seen in
Referring more particularly to
Several modifications of the clip 50 as described above are possible. For example, in reference to
The clip 50 can substantially form a U-shaped body defining co-planar parts joined together via a connecting part. Though this alternative is not illustrated, the body of the clip 50 can be conceptualized by taking the first and the second flat members 71 and 72 as comprising one of the co-planar parts of the U-shaped body. The top plate 75 then forms the connecting part and joins the first and the second co-planar parts.
In addition, the second flat member 72 may also have any type of edge in place of the pressure edge 78 (refer to
Any one of the pressure edges 77 to 80 can be curved, as long as one of the pressure edges 77 to 80 provides a force towards a joining male or female portion of two modular panels upon assembly. Note that upon insertion of clip 50, the pressure edges 77 to 80 provide a similar effect as the cam in the cam-lock fastener of the prior art.
In addition, the opposite edges 83 to 86 of each one of the flat members 71 to 74 can be shaped in any differing fashion, although a sharp angle such as illustrated in
Another variation of the clip 50 as previously described is illustrated in
In this embodiment, the clip 50 is fabricated by die-cutting the single piece of material 91. The four flat members 71 to 74 are then folded. The flat members 71 and 73 are folded along folding line 81, at an angle opposite a folding angle of the flat members 72 and 74 along the folding line 82. The plane formed by the flat members 71 and 73 is kept substantially parallel to a plane formed by the flat members 72 and 74.
The single piece 91 is once again folded over itself along a folding line 92 located substantially at a center region thereof. An opening 93 is practiced along the folding line 92 of the single piece of metal 91 to ease the folding.
This final folding forms the clip 50 of
It is noted that in
Now referring to
More specifically, the first flat member 71 is introduced into the female portion 38a of the panel 22a, and the second flat member 72 is introduced into the male portion 36b of the panel 22b, along the insertion direction perpendicular to the assembly direction 35. In this way, the first pressure edge 77 (refer to
The reversible structure of the clip 50 provides a stability mechanism in the assembly direction (35 in
The mirror structure of the clip 50 also allows the clip 50 to be inserted along either one of the exterior sheets 27 or 28 of the panels 22a and 22b. For example, although the clip 50 is illustrated in
Still referring to
It is noted that in
It should also be noted that while both clips 50 and 50′ are shown to be installed on
Now referring to
The fastening guide 100 has two guiding members 102 and 104 distanced by a central member 106 which is of a length that is substantially equal to the thickness of a panel such that the fastening guide 100 can be placed over an edge forming a connection between two modular panels, such as connections 44a and 44b in
The first guiding member 102 has a number of indentations 108, here three; indentations 108a, 108b and 108c. Two of these indentations, 108a and 108c, are for guiding the alignment of two fastening means (not shown) which are used to secure the clip 50 to the two modular panels 22a and 22b; such as screws or nails 52 in
The third indentation 108b is used to provide adequate clearance for a third fastening means (not shown). This third fastening means is used to secure the third perpendicular modular panel 24a to the two modular panels 22a and 22b via the clip 50; such as long screws 54 or 54′ of
Still referring to
The elongated opening 110 acts as a guide, in conjunction with the middle one of the indentations 108b, for aligning the third fastening means (not shown), through the third perpendicular modular panel 24a until it reaches the clip 50 which joins the two modular panels 22a and 22b together. The elongated opening 110 permits removal of the guide 100 once the third fastening means is inserted. The elongated opening 110 has two markings 116 and rounded portion 115 for guiding the alignment of the long screws 54′ and 54 respectively, as seen in
Referring more particularly to
Referring to
As seen in
Although not illustrated in
In an alternative second case, the second guiding member 104 is placed on top of the sheets 27 of the third panel 24a, abutting on the edge 33 of that panel 24a. The central member 106 is aligned with either one of the sheets 27 or 28 of the panels 22a and 22b, opposite from the location of the clip 50 or 50′ to which it is intended to be fastened.
The first marking 115 of the elongated opening 110 is used for aligning the long screw 54 for attachment with the clip 50 when the first guiding member 102 is placed in contact with the top plate 75 of the clip 50, or whenever the central member 106 is aligned with the exterior sheet 27 of the panels 22a and 22b closest to the clip 50.
The second marking 116 of the elongated opening 110 is used for aligning the long screw 54′ for attachment with the clip 50 when the central member 106 is in alignment with the exterior sheet 27 of the panels 22a and 22b which is opposite from the location of the clip 50, as also illustrated in
Guide 100 further includes lips 112 to facilitate insertion of guide 100 and to avoid or prevent scratching or marking of the panels. It should also be noted that the U shape of the guide 100 helps in preventing delaminating of panels while inserting screw 54.
Alternative embodiments of the fastening guide 100 are considered. For example, the fastening guide 100 may be formed by multiple pieces of material instead of a single one as described hereinabove.
While preferred embodiments of the invention have been described above and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, it will be evident to those skilled in the art that modifications may be made therein without departing from the essence of this invention. Such modifications are considered as possible variants comprised in the scope of the invention.
Claims
1. A clip for securing a tight connection between two modular panels, the connection comprising a male portion on a first one of the two modular panels and a female portion on a second one of the two modular panels, the male portion for insertion into the female portion upon assembly of the two modular panels, the clip comprising:
- a first flat member having a first pressure edge and a first leg extending substantially perpendicular from a first lower edge thereof;
- a second flat member having a second leg extending substantially perpendicular from a second lower edge thereof; one of said first leg or said second leg being placed atop the other of said first leg or second leg in an adjoining relationship; and
- a top plate joining the first flat member to the second flat member;
- once the panels are assembled in an assembly direction and upon introduction of the first flat member into either one of the male portion and the female portion and of the second flat member into the other one of the male portion and the female portion, the introduction being perpendicularly to the assembly direction, the first pressure edge of the first flat member forces the male portion toward the female portion thereby securing the tight connection between the two modular panels;
- wherein the first and second flat members form a U-shaped body having two respective parallel planar parts, the distal ends of the legs terminate outside said U-shape, wherein at least a portion of one of the legs forms a portion of the U-shaped body.
2. The clip as in claim 1, wherein the second flat member comprises a second pressure edge for forcing the male portion toward the female portion upon assembly of the two modular panels.
3. The clip as in claim 2, wherein each one of the two modular panels comprises a foam layer partially enclosed by two exterior sheets of material each in a plane substantially parallel to the assembly direction, the male portion and the female portion each being formed in the foam layer, near one of the two exterior sheets of material, and each one of the male portion and the female portion comprising an extension of one of the two exterior sheets of material, wherein each one of the first and second pressure edges exert a force against a respective extension.
4. The clip as in claim 2, wherein at least one of the first and second flat members is adapted to receive a fastening means substantially perpendicularly to the plane made by the first and the second flat members and through one of the two exterior sheets of material to thereby secure the clip into at least one of the two modular panels.
5. The clip as in claim 4, further for securing a third modular panel perpendicularly to the first and the second modular panels, wherein the top plate is adapted to receive, through the third modular panel, a fastening means substantially perpendicularly to the plane made by the top plate.
6. The clip as in claim 1, wherein at least one of the first and the second pressure edges comprises at least one of an angled edge and a curved edge.
7. The clip as in claim 1, further comprising a third flat member and a fourth flat member respectively aligned with the first and the second flat members to prevent twisting of the clip in the assembly direction upon assembly of the two modular panels.
8. The clip as in claim 7, wherein the third and fourth flat members form a mirror image of the first and second flat members with respect to an insertion direction perpendicular to the assembly direction, thereby ensuring a reversibility of the clip.
9. The clip as in claim 7, wherein each one of the two modular panels comprises:
- a foam layer partially enclosed by a first and a second exterior sheet of material each in a plane substantially parallel to the assembly direction;
- a first female portion formed in the foam layer, near the first exterior sheet of material and comprising a first extension of the first exterior sheet of material; and
- a second male portion formed in the foam layer, near the second exterior sheet of material and comprising a second extension of the exterior sheet of material,
- wherein the second male portion of the first one of the two modular panels is inserted into the first female portion of the second one of the two modular panels upon assembly of the two modular panels in the assembly direction.
10. The clip as in claim 9, wherein a pair of flat members formed by any one of the first and second flat members, and the third and fourth flat members, are respectively introduced into the second male portion on the first modular panel and the first female portion on the first modular panel near any one of the first and second exterior sheets of material of any one of the two modular panels.
11. The clip as in claim 1, wherein a single piece of metal which is die-cut and folded forms both the first and the second flat members.
12. The clip as in claim 11, wherein the single piece of metal is folded again over itself to form a top plate linking the first and the second flat members.
13. The clip as in claim 1, two pieces of metal which are each die-cut and folded to respectively form the first and the second flat members.
14. The clip as in claim 13, wherein the two pieces of metal are fixed together by at least one of welding, riveting, gluing to form a top plate which joins the first flat member to the second flat member.
15. The clip as in claim 1, wherein the first pressure edge comprises a first portion having a first slope and a second portion having a second slope different from the first slope.
16. The clip as in claim 15, wherein the top plate is generally in a plane and the second slope is substantially perpendicular to the plane thereby providing a cam effect upon completing the introduction of the clip in the modular panel.
17. The clip as in claim 1, wherein the top plate is generally in a plane and wherein at least a portion of the varying slope is substantially perpendicular to the plane thereby providing a cam effect upon completing the introduction of the clip in the modular panel.
18. The clip as in claim 2, wherein the second pressure edge has a varying slope.
19. The clip as in claim 2, wherein the second pressure edge comprises a first portion having a first slope and a second portion having a second slope different from the first slope.
20. The clip as in claim 1, wherein at least one of the first flat member and the second flat member comprises an opening.
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3196499 | July 1965 | Houvener |
5373678 | December 20, 1994 | Hesser |
5509242 | April 23, 1996 | Rechsteiner |
6763643 | July 20, 2004 | Mårtensson |
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Type: Grant
Filed: Sep 26, 2008
Date of Patent: Apr 24, 2012
Patent Publication Number: 20090064622
Inventor: Jean-Pierre Gingras (Longueuil)
Primary Examiner: William Gilbert
Assistant Examiner: Patrick Maestri
Attorney: Benoît & Côté
Application Number: 12/239,068
International Classification: E04B 2/00 (20060101);